Currently in Israel, thousands of staunch religious Jews are protesting on the streets against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu. On Thursday (30 October 2025), these people, wearing black clothes, took out a rally in Jerusalem against military recruitment. These people are demanding a law guaranteeing the right to avoid Israel’s mandatory military service. Netanyahu had earlier talked about bringing a law regarding this.
Protestors wearing caps set fire
A crowd of men wearing black caps set fire to pieces of tarpaulin, while hundreds of police officers cordoned off several streets across the city, news agency AFP reported. Protesters marched on the main roads leading to Jerusalem carrying placards condemning military conscription.
What is the whole matter?
Recently, the Israeli government took action against radical draft dodgers, under which call notices were sent to thousands of people and many fugitives were put in jail. At the time of Israel’s creation in 1948, there were very few ultra-Orthodox Jews there. Men who devoted all their time to the study of sacred Jewish texts were exempted from mandatory military service. Pressure on this waiver has increased since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, as the army struggles to fill its positions.
Netanyahu had promised to bring law
There has been a long-running debate in Israel about abolishing this exemption. Netanyahu promised that his government would pass a law enshrining this exemption, but he has so far failed to do so. In July 2024, ministers from the ultra-conservative Shas party resigned from the cabinet over the issue, although the party did not formally leave the coalition.
The Sephardic Shas party, which supports Netanyahu’s government, has 11 MPs. This party has warned that it will withdraw support if military service exemption is not included in the law.
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